Period 45: Mei-chan's Text
'Mei-chan's Text '''is the 45th chapter of the Zekkyou Gakkyuu series and 2nd chapter in the volume 12 manga. Premise ''Lulu Naitou just got the newest model cellphone, but still feeling lonely she accepts a mysterious text from a girl named Mei, asking to be "text friends". '' Yomi's Introduction Yomi overlooks her phone screen while greeting the reader. She remarks on how useful it is to have a phone capable of doing a lot, and she claims that she texts every day. When asked who, she says it is a secret. Summary Surrounded by her female classmates Lulu shows off the new phone she recently got for her birthday. She begins to offer to exchange numbers with the admiring crowd, but they suddenly take off to prepare for P.E. class, much to her aggravation. She can't understand why nobody wants to exchange numbers or be her friend now that the classes have changed. She is mercilessly teased by two boys who make fun of her lack of friends, but when she claims she does have them they demand she show them. She angrily stands there as they continue to laugh at her, when suddenly her phone begins to ring, alerting her of a message. Curiously she opens the message while wondering who would have her address to see it's from someone named ''Mei. She isn't sure how it happened, but mentally she is thankful for the great timing and shoves her phone in their faces to rub it in, saying they chat with each other every day and are good friends. After they leave, she returns to the message to see that it's from a girl named Mei Kuraki, who is the same age as her and asks if she would like to be texting buddies. Initially Lulu assumes it's just a wrong number, but seeing as they share the same feelings she sees no harm in it and accepts the request. She introduces herself to Mei and happily, she realizes that she has finally obtained a friend just as she had wished for. Throughout the day Lulu begins exchanging texts with Mei as agreed and she's never been happier, even if she doesn't know Mei in person. They talk about school subjects they like and dislike, how admirable it is of Lulu to get up early in the morning, favorite lunches, and so on until Lulu works up the courage to ask her where she lives, wondering if it's in the Kantou region like her. To her delight she does, right near her in fact by Shuuei Station, something Lulu can hardly believe. Suddenly, Lulu gets caught texting by her teacher and gets chewed out in front of the class as texting at school is forbidden. Her mood worsens as she realizes that even with the texts, she is still alone in class when everyone meets up with their friends after class ends. She pulls out her phone in secret to ask Mei if she thinks she is a bad person, but Mei insists she isn't at all. Mei explains that she believes Lulu is someone very kind for talking to her like this, and she admits that before she met her she couldn't really speak to others, and now she is very happy. Lulu is touched reading these words, and she continues to access how much alike they are until deciding they must be best friends. She assures Mei she would never leave her and is delighted when Mei responds right back, and they make a promise on it. During class, Lulu behaves aware of the Teachers heavy gaze on her to make sure she doesn't break any rules. While she desperately wants to text with Mei to avoid being alone, she can't let her phone be confiscated either and suffers in silence, waiting for school to end. As soon as she begins leaving school grounds, she quickly sends an apologetic text to Mei for keeping her waiting, but she gets distracted when one girl nearby brings up a student who went missing last year; a girl from Shuuei school who was the same age as them. These words alert Lulu as they continue, with one girl remarking that if the girl hasn't been found yet then chances are she's probably dead by now. As she wonders if the girl might have known Mei, Lulu gets a text from her claiming that she understands if it can't be helped if the teacher gets mad, something Lulu questions since she didn't recall mentioning what happened yet. She is then surprised when Mei sends another text, claiming that as Lulu's best friend she knows everything about her. After getting past her shock, Lulu decides Mei is probably just kidding. There is no way she could have known what she was just thinking right then. She then begins making her way home when she gets more texts from Mei, who confesses that she's known a lot about Lulu even before they started to talk. She was curious about her and had to work up the courage to speak to her, and she's very glad she did now. By now Lulu is beginning to get anxious, and she wonders how Mei could have possibly gotten her information if she's never spoke to her before in person. After it dons on her that Mei really didn't text her by mistake she rushes for home, where she finds her mom putting away groceries. She points out that she has a snack set out for her and Lulu forces herself to calm down- just to spot pages on the table, one of which is about a girl who went missing. She looks to see a picture of Mei and the article about the day she was last seen, and a phone number to call if anybody has any information about her. Lulu is frozen in fear as she recalls what the girls at school were saying and she realizes this girl has the same name as the Mei she's been speaking to. As she wonders if someone could be playing a prank by using Mei's name, she receives another text and looks to see Mei is asking her if they could meet up and play together in a secret spot she has. But Lulu is enraged under the belief the person texting her is the boy from school who makes fun of her, and angrily she deletes the text, refusing to speak to "Mei" again. She cries and comes to the decision that starting tomorrow, she is going to try to make real friends. She sees the girls from before and hesitantly approaches them, shyly asking them if she could have their numbers so that they can talk. The girls are initially surprised, but they quickly agree and begin to laugh at her silly expression of surprise and tears. One of them admits how she assumed Lulu didn't like to talk because of how quiet she is, and she happily realizes how much fun it was to ask them for their numbers. The second school ends Lulu happily runs home to inform her mom of the news, saying her friends invited her to play with them tomorrow. Her mother happily remarks on this and the following day Lulu is on the bus with her friends chatting up the Screaming Land amusement park. She is enjoying their time together and thinks about how much more fun it is speaking in person than through texts, when suddenly she gets one. She assumes it's only her mom, but to her shock she sees it's from Mei again. She wonders how it's even possible when she had her number changed and didn't even register this number. But she begins to panic as Mei sends multiple texts in a row about how glad she is that Lulu has come to see her, and how happy she is, and how much she cares about her. As Lulu begins to have a meltdown, her friends helplessly observe her hearing her phone keep going off and ask if she is okay. But rather than answer them Lulu panics and drops her phone, announcing she is leaving for home before she runs away from her friends. Realizing that the texts can't be a break, Lulu suddenly stops to realize she is now in a strange field she doesn't recognize. She looks around and attempts to wade through the tall flowers and plants to make her way out of it, when suddenly her foot slips, causing her to fall backwards through a large opening in the field. Landing roughly on the soggy and rubbish covered ground, Lulu realizes she is in a manhole. She wonders why the lid was opened and begins to worry noticing how small and damaged the ladder leading out of it is, then she notices a cellphone on the ground, and on it is a tag charm with Kuraki Mei written on it. It then dons on Lulu that she's been getting texts from this location and like her, she fell down this manhole. Suddenly someone calls out to Lulu, and she realizes she is saved. But before she can call out to them she is grabbed by the skeletal body of Mei, who happily giggles and embraces her, saying they will be together forever. As this is going on, the girls Lulu befriended desperately call out to her in a panic, trying to find her in the field. The manhole is revealed to be covered. Yomi's Epilogue Yomi observes the text she got while saying that with Mei's phone Lulu tried to free herself and escape. But from that day, she was forever binded with her new, best friend. She makes a remark about how it is important to cherish ones friend, then she happily suggests they talk again next time. Characters *Lulu Naitou *Mei Kuraki Quotes Trivia Gallery Category:Vol 12 Category:Manga Category:Chapters